Monika Socko wins International Women's Tournament in Baku

9/18/2007 – It was a close finish, with two players – former women's world champion Antoaneta Stefanova and Monika Socko of Poland leading the field with 6/8 points. Stefanova faced top seed Pia Cramling with black, and drew in 23 moves. Socko fought for 70 moves against Nargiz Umudova, winning the game, point and event. Spectacular photo report by Zahir Ahmadov.

Monika Socko wins women’s tournament in Baku

Tournament report by Zahir Ahmadov

The last round started with two players – Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria and
Monika Socko of Poland – leading the field with six points from eight
games. However, exactly like a mirror effect the two players were in completely
different positions with regard to their chances to win the tournament in the
last round: Stefanova had to play with Black against the top seed and one of
the most experienced players, Pia Cramling, while Socko had the white pieces
against the lowest rated and youngest participant, Nargiz Umudova.

Pia Cramling vs Andoaneta Stefanova in the final round of the tournament

The first game of the round to finish was Pia Cramling vs Antoaneta Stefanova.
After 23 moves Black thought she had no winning line and agreed to a draw. Meanwhile,
Socko pressed hard, sometimes giving drawing chances to her opponent. She finally
won the game and the tournament after 70 moves. Finishing last made the game
more spectacular, as many were impatiently watching to see whether the young
Azeri lady could save the game.

A young enthusiast and helper follows the games on the computer screens

Blitz match

The organizers of the women’s tournament invited Vladislav Tkachiev (France,
rated 2655), one of the strongest blitz players of the world, to play a six-game
blitz tournament against the local boy Vugar Gashimov (2655) to mark the end
of the tournament. The match ended with the score 3:3, each player winning two
games and with two draws.

See also

9/9/2007 – This event, in a country that truly loves chess, features three local talents and seven international stars from seven different countries. The venue is Baku, the Pearl of the Caspian Sea, where our reporter Ali Nihat Yazici feels at home, because one can get around very nicely in Turkish. He has sent us a big report on the start of the event, which includes pictures and video impressions.Discuss

10/17/2007 – The 11th edition of the Essent Chess Tournament is taking place from October 12 to 20, 2007 in the city of Hoogeveen, Netherland. There are several competitions: an Amateur Tournament, a youth event, a strong Open, and the Crown Group. This double round robin has four players with an Elo average of 2670. Special feature: the participants have to play with glass pieces.Discuss

Discuss

Today on playchess.com

3/3/2015 – Tryfon Gavriel also known as Kingscrusher shows instructional games. Either from the past or today these games
will help you to improve your game. Beginning at 10 pm. Entry fee: 50 Ducats, Premium free!
Become Premium Member!

News

ChessBase 13 is a personal, stand-alone chess database program that has become the standard throughout the world. Everyone uses ChessBase, from the World Champion to the amateur next door. New functions: ChessBase-Cloud, improved repertoire function etc.

In the classical system of the King’s Indian White develops naturally and refrains from chasing ghosts looking for a refutation of Black’s set-up. White instead relies on the fact that natural play should yield him a small but lasting advantage.

The polish GM Michal Krasenkow presents a repertoire based on the Noteboom and the Stonewall. Black’s set-up may lead to a whole range of different and interesting positions, which help the black player to broaden his strategic and tactical understanding.

WCh-match Sochi 2014 with a survey by Marin and video analyses by King. Hightlights from the London Chess Classic and Qatar Open with annotations by Yu Yangyi. Training on tactics, strategy and endgame. 12 opening articles with new repertroire ideas!

Avoid long theoretical battles by playing 3.Bb5 or 3.b3/3.g3 against the sicilian. Lorin D’Costa and Nick Murphy show you, how you play for an advantage in these systems and how to punish knowledge gaps of your opponent.

Opening expert and former World Champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov shows you the secrets in the McCutcheon (3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4). He shows why Bd2 is no longer the main line and which continuation will be the theory of tomorrow.